


Stress Changes

by Super_Lu



Category: Original Work
Genre: Blood, Body Horror, Drama, Mild Gore, Transformation, dragon - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-21
Updated: 2019-10-21
Packaged: 2020-12-27 22:48:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21126524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Super_Lu/pseuds/Super_Lu
Summary: Rose is stressed at work and is surprised to see her worries manifest in some strange ways. It all starts with her nails...





	Stress Changes

**Author's Note:**

> If you like this story consider supporting me on kofi and check out my twitter for updates:  
https://ko-fi.com/A0A4ABS9  
https://twitter.com/Kokonoesensei

Rose’s nails had become claws. It didn’t feel like what she imagined; like the feeling of teeth being pulled, slowly. It felt more like like hot water being poured over her finger tips, her old nails simply falling off and clattering to the bathroom floor. Her nail (claw?) scratched against the stall door, a metallic scar trailing behind. Rose opened the door, eyes meeting in her reflection. Haggard eyes stared back, with a shadow of fear rising up. She sighed. Nothing to be done about it. She left the bathroom and went back to her desk, no one noting the change on her hands. 

The computer shone painfully, the electric light searing. Clacking keyboard pierced through the air as usual, joining the chorus of keyboards throughout the office. Stale coffee hung in the air, overstaying its welcome. It seeped into the carpet, mixing with the sweat and BO of the employees, all of it stewing and leaking back into the recycled air. Rose’s stomach gurgled and churned, the smell invading and attacking. She groaned, one hand clutching her stomach and the other digging into the cheap plastic of her desk.

“Hey are you busy?” a voice called from behind her. Sighing, Rose turned to see her coworker, smugly leaning against the wall of her cubical. She knew his name, but didn’t care to remember it now. Now was not a good time. Cheap after shave and cologne wafted from him in waves, bile rising from Rose’s throat momentarily. “Listen I need you to do me a favor.” He demanded, not asked. 

“What?” Her eyes glared, heat rising throughout her blood, boiling her to the bone. A snap echoed in the pregnant silence, claws popping from the plastic and gingerly being place on her lap. Her coworker didn’t notice. Just stood and smiled. 

“No need to be so upset. I was reviewing your numbers from the recent…” His voice became static. Her body heated up more and more, the beating of her heart echoing like an approaching drum. The drumming was accompanied by the clicking of keyboards, staplers clacking, papers being folded, and the mumbles voices of people gossiping. Rose covered her ears, the sounds still tugging at her eardrums. 

“So you need to redo all of these reports by tomorrow.” A stack of papers thudded its way onto her desk. Rose’s eyes went wide, her hands gliding to the stack and thumbing through the smooth sheets. 

“Are you kidding me?!” She growled. Her coworker shrugged and started on his way. 

“Thanks hun! You’re a peach!” Rose slammed her fist on her desk, a chunk breaking off and thudding softly on the carpet, flakes of dust spreading into the air. Her teeth were clenched, the sound of cracking echoing through her skull. Looking through the papers, she could see her work was fine, and all of his was screwed up. Throwing his work onto her? Bullshit! 

Iron filled Rose’s mouth, a familiar taste that she knew should not be there. It grew in intensity, flooding her mouth and taste buds until her lips spit open, like a leaking dam. Red dripped down, like a bloody drizzle. Rose grabbed the garbage can and spit. Mixed with the red was pearly white, tiny cubes she knew shouldn’t be out of her mouth. She tried to speak, but more blood and teeth ejected from her gums, her mouth oozing with pain serving as a memory of what should be. 

Rose coughed, and heaved; the flow of blood ceased. She wiped her mouth and leaned back into her chair, sighing deeply. She grabbed her phone, and a with a tap the camera sprung to life. Looking at her mouth, Rose was expecting just inflamed muscle and drool, but was surprised to see new teeth replacing the old. Though calling them teeth made it sound more human than they were. Fangs were more appropriate. 

Rose’s human teeth all replaced with sharp and dangerous looking fangs. Her tongue glided around them, any remaining viscera cleaned away. Her tongue tasted fresh air as it cleaned her jaw and lips. It then moved further down, wiping below her jaw to reach her neck. Her new pointed ears twitched, her scowl as hard as a rock.

Rose stumbled to the kitchen, the desire for water overriding any worry about if others noticed her changes. Her coworkers seemed unconcerned with Rose’s sudden changes, and simply either minded their own business or focused on their own work. A few whispers and laughs followed her sad trudge, but her need to drink kept her focused. 

In the kitchen the lingering scent of left over sweets and freshly brewed coffee raised Rose’s spirits, her first smile on the day piercing her scowl. Filling up a paper cup, Rose took in the fresh water from the cooler, enjoying its serene waves flow down her throat, alleviating the burning of her body slightly. 

“There you are!” a shrill voice called. The gossip wandered into the kitchen, looking as devious as ever. The burning return, stronger than before. “Have you heard the news?”

Rose shook her head, her arms becoming itchy. Claws scratched bare flesh absentmindedly. 

“Well I heard that Jackie has been screwing around with Mickey, you know the new manager, to get some kind of big promotion. And apparently Billy heard this from Nancy and is using it to get some leniency for his super sloppy work! So…” 

The drumming returned, and Rose was so thankful for it. The chatter was drowned out, but the itching continued. The fire in her blood rose up through her muscles, past her bones and sinew and to the skin, spreading like the water that drifted down her throat moments ago. The heat washed over her, from her hands to the forearms’ to the neck and cheeks; the base of her neck and back; her chest; her feet up to her calves. They burned and prickled, her claws doing nothing to relieve it. 

“So anyway! I heard that Bret is looking to replace you? Is that true?!” 

“What?!” Rose’s ears pricked up, her mouth agape. 

“Yea! They said you haven’t been pushing your weight around here and that they might take you from your position and give him your job, you know? I mean I guess it makes sense if you ask me. Like you haven’t been…”

“I need to go…” Rose mumbled, struggling to walk, the world spinning. 

“Okay, bye!” the gossip screamed behind her. 

The bathroom door burst open, the cracking of wood echoing in the tiled room. Rose grasped the counter top, the cheap material creaking and splintering under her palms. Orange eyes stared back through the mirror, the pupils more like a lizards than a humans. Rose sighed, the cool metal of the faucet sending a shiver up her spine. Pipes squeaked in the walls as water poured into the basin, the sounds pleasantly drowning out her heart’s constant prattle. Her hands cupped, she placed them in the water, her hands filled to the brim. Coolness engulfed her face with a splash, a soft sigh escaping her chest as the heat mellowed slightly. 

The irritation did not dissipate, to Rose’s chagrin. Her claws dug deep into her skin and scratched. No blood came from her skin, no matter how hard she scrapped away. Yet the skin fell away, like potato peelings that simply fluttered to the ground. Bright red scales glowed under the artificial light, shining like gems. Wherever the heat was, skin would fall, and soon more shining scales took their place. 

A shiver traveled up Rose’s spine as her finger tips glided across her new body. Her hands and forearms shone, their reflection creating a prism of color in the small bathroom. She took off her shoes, seeing her stockings have long been destroyed, human toe nails clattering to the ground. The same change. 

Rose cut away two buttons on her blouse, her chest now covered in the same scales. Her cheeks and neck also shone brightly, scaled covering everything besides her face and throat. Rose was sure the relief on her shoulder blades and lower back was more scales. She huffed, black smoke escaping her nostrils and floating away behind her as she pulled the door off its hinges, the wood splintering as it crashed against the wall. 

Shoeless, her claws echoed in the stairway back to her office. Some more coworkers passed her in the hallway, but no one asked. She didn’t care to explain. She couldn’t explain. 

Back at her desk, she rested her head on the cool plastic. The clock shone ten. She sighed and turned the other way. A scowl greeted her, the manager tapping their foot quickly on the carpet. 

“What the hell have you been doing?” he whispered harshly, eyes and ears following his voice. 

“Uh…” Rose began.

“Shut it!” he hissed, knuckles going white as he gripped the metal cubical. Rose could hear his blood boiling, his nostrils flaring. A hiss escaped her throat, teeth bared. 

“I don’t want excuses. I’ve heard all about you laying about today and wasting company time on…god knows what.” A finger stabbed at her, a challenge. 

“You better get your act together. Or you can pack up and go.” Stomps echoed on the carpet, the smell of sweat and hatred leaking from his pores. Disgusting to smell, like a steak left out for too many days. 

The chattering started immediately, a chorus of words and squeals and theories that flooded the air. Rose punched her desk, the cheap plastic finally giving to her power and collapsing into shards. Paper flew high and glided silently to the ground, the smell of smoke escaping through Rose’s maw, black bellows escaping. 

Her head throbbed. Rose grabbed her templed and groaned. The office became blurry, tears and pain replacing light. Skin broke, blood trickled down. Her tongue lapped what it could, coving her face in red. Another push, ripping echoing in her mind. She yelped with a final push, and the pain disappeared as soon as it came. Scaled hands explored, finding two large horns now protruding from her head. They felt like her claws, strong and dangerous. 

The noise wouldn’t go away. The chatter and choirs of people around her was like static on blast. Too much to process. Her spine popped, the echo cutting through the white noise for a moment. Her spine stretched, reaching out past her pants and into the dirty recycled air. She leaned against the wall, panting. Her breath was as hot as her body. The heat licking every part of her. Her spine pushed more, stretching far beyond what it should. She screamed, falling to the ground as her new tail formed, thrashing about and destroying what was left of her cubical. Black spikes protruding from the base all the way up to the small of her back.

Rose let out a sigh. Exhaustion enveloped her. She was done. 

She stood, grabbing her purse and walking towards the exit. 

“Um…excuse me?” Rose turned, her eyes narrowing with deadly intent. It was Bret, the coworker from the morning. Her replacement. 

“Are…you going to finish that stuff I gave you? I need it done ASAP.” A growl drowned the office of life, the silence almost telling of what they were all aware. Her back tugged. Pulling and ripping the muscle and bone. She didn’t care. She wanted it to escape. 

A scaly hand met soft skin, Rose lifting her coworker by his throat. Bret wiggled under her touch, fear replacing his smugness. Fear slipping through his perfect visage. Two mighty wings exploded the back of Rose’ blouse, their flapping a gust spreading like a storm.

“GO DO IT YOURSELF!!!” She roared, throwing the man like a doll. His body crashed through the managers closed door, the man inside screaming for dear life. Rose sighed, a small smile spreading on her face. 

“Is she okay?” someone asked.

“What’s wrong with her?” another demanded. Rose couldn’t care less. Not anymore. 

“I’m going home.” She said to no one. Her tail smacking a window open, glass glittering as the pieces reflected the morning sun, like diamonds. She took a deep breath, the air filing her with something new. Something good. Her wings flapped, her body lifting easily from the ground. With one push, Rose was gone. The only thing to accompany her way home was the sound of the Autumn wind and the calm drumming of her heart.

**Author's Note:**

> This goes out to all the people who get shit on at work or just have a rough time in general. Y'all deserve better!


End file.
